The *ULTRAHAPTICS Student Challenge *jointly promoted by ULTRAHAPTICS
and EUROHAPTICS 2018 invites participants from all over the world to
demonstrate new applications of touch interfaces by using the
ULTRAHAPTICS Development Kit. This challenge provides an advanced
development platform to innovate research on touch and aims to promote
new applications in the field of mid-air haptics with special interest
in the broad areas of: AR/VR, Entertainment, Communication, Healthcare,
or Security.

*How to Participate *
To participate, a team must submit a 3-page proposal (see submission
information below) by November 30, 2018. Five proposals will be chosen
and notified. Ultrahaptics will *allocate a TOUCH Development Kit
(UHDK5) to each of the 5 selected teams* in December 2017. The selected
teams will be given access to supporting documents and application
notes, including communication API, development instructions and
examples, and detailed construction.
The ULTRAHAPTICS Student Challenge will take place during the
EuroHaptics 2018 conference in Pisa (Italy), from 13th -16th June 2018.
The winner of the Student Challenge will be announced during the award
ceremony. An amount of *1,000€ and an internship training program*
sponsored by Ultrahaptics will be awarded to the winner. A panel of
expert judges will evaluate each application at the conference.

For each team, one or more team members must attend the full conference
to present the team’s application(s) and will be responsible for
applicable conference registration fees. *Ultrahaptics will provide
support for travel* (300€ European teams, 500€ non-European teams),
while *Eurohaptics 2018 organizers will provide free accommodation for 1
participant per team to the competition*. All attending students must
register for the conference. We suggest students look early for ways to
fund their attendance, such as asking for sponsorship from local
research labs, applying for student volunteerships, registering early,
and watching out for possible student travel grants.

*The Challenge *
Participants will create a mid-air haptic feedback environment in which
a user can explore and experiment with specific topic or concept. We
encourage teams to structure their application environment around the
broad topics of: AR/VR, Entertainment, Communication, Healthcare, or
Security.

Haptic interaction using the Ultrahaptics Development Kit must be a
significant part of the application, i.e., applications should rely on
the haptic feedback, rather than the haptic feedback being added posthoc
or in a nonessential way to an existing graphically-presented
environment. Teams can use other modalities, like visual or audio
feedback, along with the haptics.

Applications will be judged on:
• Haptics feedback quality, i.e., the effective use of haptics, and
device capabilities – Does the application take maximal advantage of
what the device can do, and gracefully accommodate its limits?
• Originality, creativity and engagement – How innovative, inspiring,
original and engaging is the application and the team’s approach
• Delivery and presentation – the application must convey the main idea
in a clear and transparent manner, highlighting the technical advantages
and difficulties of the challenge.

*Hardware:*
The Ultrahaptics TOUCH Development Kit (UHDK5) contains:
➢ The development kit hardware: a 192 (14×14) transducer array and
control board, mounted in a cradle with a Leap Motion Controller device.
➢ Multi-regional power supply, USB cables and compliance, warranty and
health and safety booklet.

The UHDK5 supports our “Amplitude Modulation” API and can produce
mid-air haptics with up to four simultaneous Control Points to a range
of 40cm. The positions of these can be updated in real-time at up to 400
times a second. Our SDK contains a full API and suite of example code
(C++) for you to work through to create your own applications. We also
provide C# libraries for integration within the Unity Game Development
platform.

*Submission Requirements *
Students must submit a 3-page proposal document.
The pdf document should contain the following:
• Team members details (Name, Surname, degree)
• Team Contact email
• Project Name
• 30-word non-technical pitch
• 150-word abstract
• Project description with a roadmap and concept diagrams
• All student applicants should also complete and submit the
Participation Agreement found at:*https://goo.gl/forms/8hbDSOPtyEEC92NB3*

Submissions should be made via email with subject “Proposal” to:
[hidden email] <mailto:[hidden email]>
You should receive an automated confirmation email.

*Qualifications: *
The challenge is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Teams may
have between two and four members. Teams can enlist professors,
teachers, and professionals as advisors, but the work must be done by
the students only, and all team members must be eligible to register for
the conference in the student category.

*Writing a Good Submission: *
Hands-on educational activities help students learn concepts by linking
abstract concepts to students’ physical experience. Ultrahaptics
Development Kit allow students to explore the new abilities of the
non-contact mid-air haptic solutions. There are many different
application concepts that could be translated to mid-air. A good
submission will describe a creative enhanced haptic environment in which
a student will use ULTRAHAPTICS Development Kit.

Your 3-page proposal should help us understand:
• The concept of your application and why it is unique.
• What your application will consist of and how a user will interact
with it.
• Why a mid-air haptic device is appropriate for your application.
• A roadmap for development and how your team’s skills can achieve them.

Good design requires iteration, and we don’t expect your final results
to be exactly as you describe in your submission, but your concept
description should be well thought out, and it should have a plausible
chance of working.